Freedom Is
by llinwood
Summary: "Freedom is what we do with what is done to us." ― Jean-Paul Sartre - After his fifth year Harry decides that enough is enough. He is tired of playing at being a child, tired of acting oblivious, and tired of watching his lover be chained to two different masters. This is essentially a reincarnation story. Rating, at this point, to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Warnings: There will eventually be slash, pairings to be revealed at a later date. Also, the first few chapters were written a very long time ago, when the only HP books published were 1-5. As such this does not agree with, but may in later chapters include elements from, books 6 and 7.

Disclaimer: I do not own the various settings, characters, and plot points that originate from the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling.

PROLOGUE

There was one thing, Harry decided, that he truly hated about the wizarding world and there it was on the front page of the _Prophet_:** Boy-Who-Lived Missing**. There was nothing really wrong with the headline unless of course, one happened to be Harry Potter and also happened to want to remain missing. He sighed again while tossing the newspaper in the trash; the one thing he couldn't stand about the wizarding world was their habit of always worrying about other people's business.

The article, which went on for two pages, basically stated how Mrs. Figg, his neighbour who also happened to be a squib, had noticed his absence from the garden. Apparently that had been enough for an investigation by Dumbledore's Order, and the news had then been leaked to the press. For the hundredth time Harry cursed his impatience. You would think that a thousand years would have increased his patience level, but if anything it had only decreased it. He had always known that eventually he would be free of the confine that was Four Privet Drive, but after his fifth year, he had found himself unwilling and unable to curb his impatience and frustration.

It had been a simple escape to manage, but he was still proud of the way he had pulled it off without a hitch. He had years ago studied the wards on his "home" and realized that they were keyed into his magical signature. With this knowledge it had then been simple to leave behind a sock containing part of his magical signature. He knew this was high level magic which could break his cover, but had counted on the Order leaving him alone as they had the year before.

"Apparently," he thought with a slight grimace, "my show in Dumbledore's office backfired." He had meant it to manipulate the headmaster into backing off a little; apparently it had accomplished the opposite effect. In retrospect, Harry supposed he should have expected both responses; it was hard, after all, attempting to out-manipulate a master manipulator.

Hardly anyone, of course, would agree with Harry's assessment of the headmaster, but Harry had experienced quite a bit in his long life and knew a manipulator when he saw one. He himself was a master manipulator, with his biggest manipulation being the tricking of the entire wizarding world. To his knowledge, no one had even guessed that the Boy-Who-Lived was much older than he seemed and he had hoped to keep it that way. He had understood exactly what the prophecy had meant by having his own unique power, but had played clueless easily enough. His manipulation had been perfect.

The article, however, had put a dent in his disguise. With such a high-profile this time around he couldn't simply disappear completely, but if he showed up at Hogwarts on September 1 he was sure Dumbledore wouldn't be content with a simple run-away from home story.

"Or would he . . ." Harry wondered, a slow grin forming on his face as he hurried down the street. He had things to do.


	2. Chapter 2

Warnings: There will eventually be slash, pairings to be revealed at a later date. Also, the first few chapters were written a very long time ago, when the only HP books published were 1-5. As such this does not agree with, but may in later chapters include elements from, books 6 and 7.

Disclaimer: I do not own the various settings, characters, and plot points that originate from the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling.

CHAPTER 1

TWO DAYS AGO

The sight that greeted Ron, as he walked out of his bedroom, was comical but not uncommon. Fred and George cared little about their appearance, however, and more about crowding around the receiving end of an Extendable Ear. Ron stood in the hall for a few seconds, debating the merits of breakfast as opposed to squeezing into a non-existent third spot around the Ear. With a sigh he walked towards the twins, reasoning that his getting breakfast would interrupt whatever meeting the twins were eavesdropping on, and that it was always better to be well-informed after the Department of Mysteries debacle.

"So what's today's meeting then?" he asked as he crouched down beside his brothers.

"Harry," Fred began with a wry smile on his face, "What else do they usually talk about?" George finished. Ron nodded, and then winced as their mother's voice came shrieking through.

"What do you mean he could simply be sick?!" she shouted, "Ron hasn't heard from Harry all summer. All we've heard is that Arabella sees him once a day in the garden, as though that makes the poor boy all right, and not one of you thinks it odd that his behaviour has suddenly changed? Arthur!"

"Well, Molly," they heard their father begin hesitantly, "he could simply be sick and in a day or two-"

"No, Arthur, not 'in a day or two', 'a day or two' may be too long if something is wrong. Albus!" By now, their mother's voice had grown more plaintive than angry.

"You're quite right, Molly" the Headmaster replied after a few seconds, "I have made the mistake in the past of keeping Harry perhaps a little too isolated." The boys looked at each other in surprise, and listened even more closely.

"Perhaps," the professor continued, "it would be wise to send an Order member into the house. I'll have young Nymphadora check on Harry tonight."

With that the meeting seemed finished, and the twins recalled the listening end of the Ear as the boys descended to the kitchen. Ron made a mental note to write to Hermione about the news although, he decided, he had waited long enough for breakfast already. The letter could always wait until there was more news about Harry.

* * *

Tonks crept up the stairs, making a concerted effort to avoid tripping or stumbling. She had been briefed on the Dursley's lack of appreciation for the magical world, as well as witness to their behaviour at the train station almost a month prior. Her disillusionment spell could only do so much, after all, and any noise would wake the household almost immediately.

The Headmaster's orders had been quite explicit: she was to look in on Harry only. Any contact with the family was to be avoided. Her main goal was to ensure that Harry was in the house and, though possibly a little ill and mourning for Sirius, essentially in good health. She was to pass on good wishes from Mrs. Weasley, as well as a promise of food and potions if the boy was sick, and the reassurance that he would be transported to Headquarters shortly after his birthday.

At the top of the stairs Tonks used a useful Auror spell to track magical residue. After all, though Harry might not be able to actively use magic during the summer months, some residue from any spells on his trunk and belongings would linger for at least a few months before dissipating completely. After the spell identified Harry's door, a quick unlocking charm opened the door, and Tonks slipped into the room.

At first it was too dark to make out anything other than absence of Harry's owl, but a whispered "_lumos"_ soon solved that problem. As her eyes adjusted to the new light, she moved towards the bed in order to wake up a sleeping Harry, an explanation for her presence already formulating in her mind.

As she stepped up beside the bed, she noticed two worrying things. The first was that the bed contained no evidence of Harry. The second was that, as the door had been locked, it was unlikely that Harry had simply stepped out for a glass of water. Tonks took a glance around the room, looking for a note or some other immediate explanation for Harry's absence. When no such evidence appeared, she quickly collected Harry's belongings, shrinking the boy's trunk and gathering up the owl cage. She tripped only once on her way out the door, but managed to apparate just as she the lights turned on upstairs.


End file.
